. silver lining

[aisha van buren]

"What is this?" "You've got to be fucking joking." Oscar looks at her incredulously, straightening up from the whisking he had been previously been doing, stunned into stillness. "You don't know Blur? I knew you were an uneducated yank but this is next level." A typical conversation between the two, since Aisha permitted him to link his music to the sound system as he worked, broadly unbothered by what was playing. She hitches Aria higher up on her hip, the toddler going through a needy phase that meant she was very rarely anywhere else. "You're fired," she says, using her free hand to dip a finger into the dressing he had been working on, zingy orange and sharp tang from fish sauce dancing across her tongue, making her moan. "OK, you're rehired. You don't need to cook for Aria today, by the way, she's going to her dad's." "Aww, so it's just me and you Aish? How romantic. You gonna miss me Ari?"  The toddler giggles, nodding, going to reach in to the dressing before Aisha moves her away. "Don't go getting excited, I'm seeing if Cora's free. Can you make that fennel salad again? I feel like I'm getting fat, so no carbs--" "You're pregnant, idiot." "Still. Oh," she's caught off guard by the sound of the doorbell, causing her to roll her eyes. Unlikely to be the last time today. "Watch her, that'll be the asshole now." She puts Aria down on the counter, where she promptly starts moving his things around, making Oscar laugh. "Yeah yeah. Try to keep your cool." Going to the door, she pauses to fix her hair in the mirror. She hadn't been wearing much makeup lately but she'd bothered to today, unsure why she felt the need though glad she had, pleased with the reflection she's met with. Finally she opens the door. "You're late."

[freddie beaumont]

A Hamptons summer was not helping Freddie's journey of celibacy. The temptation of Jane combined Aisha barely speaking to him only lead Freddie down a path of irritation. But Montauk had plenty of other things to help distract from the troubles he was currently facing. Fancy dinners and or parties, drinks out with friends, taking the boat out on the water, the options were endless. He knew that asking Jane to lunch would only provoke more rumors. His best friend reminding him that people were always watching their every move, no doubt it would touch the ears of the person who would twist it. The truth was, it was a friendly lunch with a friend. The patrons of Duryea's would say the same, but adding a few other words to incriminate Freddie. But he was ready to take on the wrath of Aisha. Nothing changed with their schedule for Aria, a rotation going strong even with the cold shoulder from the ice queen herself. The Beaumont and McCarthy's were never far away from each other, even out in Montauk. It was his day for retrieving his daughter from Aisha. The family's personal driver pulls up the familiar driveway, Freddie sighing in preparation in what was to come. He does one more look over, to make sure he had the car seat and some of the things that Aria enjoyed ready for her. Opening the door, his face feels the summer heat, mixed with a breeze from the ocean. "I'll be right back, James," he murmurs before exiting the black car. His knuckles wrap on the door as he pulls his sunglasses from his face, tucking them into front of  his white linen shirt. She's scolding him, of course, and looking stunning as ever. A glow so prominent on her face. "I'm seriously," he pauses in the middle of his sentence to peer down at the watch on his left hand. "Three minutes late. You know how the traffic is in the peak of the summer." He's rolling his eyes as Aisha opens the door wider for him to enter. Leading Freddie further into the home, giggles can be heard down the hallway to the kitchen. The scene is how it always is, Oscar constantly near by.  "Hey," Freddie greets Oscar who's stood in front of the stove, politely but not entirely friendly. Aria's eyes light up when she recognizes Freddie and it makes him smile. "Hi baby girl," Aria reaches her short arms out, as he comes around to the counter that she was perched on.

[aisha van buren]

"You should have factored the traffic in." Despite being pregnant and despite being in the comfort of her family vacation home, Aisha has decided to wear high heels, the stiletto heel of which clicks against the marble floor as she leads him through to the expansive kitchen. As always Freddie looks like a model, his skin a deeper olive thanks to the summer sun. It makes Aisha all the more infuriated, picturing him as he looks now, off gallivanting around the Hamptons. She's ignored Tate's insistence that he was behaving himself, rumors swirling and adding to her frustration with the man. As they enter the room she sees Oscar straighten up, rolling her eyes at the machismo that had come to lace all interactions between him and Freddie. "You alright?" Oscar says, though with less of the warmth she'd get from him. "Careful, she's big into pulling hair at the moment. Aren't you mate?" Aria giggles even more at all the attention-- her mother's daughter. Aisha chooses to go to the stove, peering into the pot and smiling up at Oscar. "Hey, you told me you'd teach me next time you made this!" She hits his arm, making him wince with faux pain. "Ouch, that's a workplace violation! Anyway, we've got all day, I'll show you the ropes later on. When we've got some privacy." Oscar's voice drops quieter on that last sentence, though he can be heard clear as day -- he was very good at playing along, she'd give him that. "Besides, you're terrible. A hopeless case." He turns to Freddie, forcing a broad smile, "have you seen this one cook? She can burn water, it's insane."

[freddie beaumont]

Freddie notices Oscar stand up straight while at the stove. The two of them eyeing each other, just as they always did. If he knew Aisha well, she would be loving their need to ‘man up.’ “Yeah thanks,” he replies to Oscar’s question without bothering to reciprocate any conversation. His attention focused on Aria’s grabby hands, as she reaches for Freddie. Her arms wrapping around his neck in a tight grip, her little fingers curling as she does lightly pull on the hair at the nape of his neck. As he’s holding their daughter, he gives Aisha a pointed look- especially at Oscar’s comment regarding Aria’s actions. It was no secret that Oscar spent a lot of time with Aria, Aisha as well. While he was ‘the help’ as she always insisted, this little display he was watching only further allowed for other suspicions to creep back in his mind. Jane had also reassured Freddie at their lunch that Oscar’s attention lied elsewhere. “I’m not surprised,” he forces out of his mouth, eyes going back and forth to their antics. Freddie also wants to comment on how Aisha’s never needed to cook in her entire life, living a spoiled one just as he did. But he bites his tongue, knowing the snark that’d follow with such a remark. Aisha’s fingers continue to dip into whatever Oscar is fixing. He sets Aria back down on the counter, slightly seeing red as he replays the scene before him in his head. “Can we speak? In private?” He questions Aisha, a narrowed look on his features. Freddie doesn’t allow a response, leading himself to the balcony of her family home. He’d spent as much time here growing up, as he did at his family’s own Hamptons home. Freddie steps out alone on the balcony, waiting for her presence. “What the fuck was that? When you have privacy?”

[aisha van buren]

Aisha pretends she isn't loving the pissing match the two have started engaging in. It was no secret that Oscar was not your typical hired help; right this second he was stood in a tight white t-shirt, jeans and a backwards baseball cap, not exactly attempting the chef look. She makes a point of letting her eyes sweep over his arms, across his broad chest, before finally meeting Freddie's, just in time for her to catch his pointed look. She gives him a little shrug, as if she has no idea what he could be annoyed by. "You're a bad influence, always leading me astray," she says to her accomplice, finally leaving his side to go over and run a finger down Aria's cheek, close enough now that she can smell Freddie's familiar cologne, mingled with sea salt. She's about to tell him that anything he has to say he can say here, but he's already gone. Oscar catches her eye and gives her a wink, turning back to his food and leaving her to it. With a sigh she follows Freddie out, watching his broad back manoeuvre what was actually quite a tricky door with ease. Such familiarity. No wonder her parents had so quickly accepted him as Aria's father, he had practically been a second son to them long before that particular bombshell. "What do you mean?" she asks, her voice honeyed with false confusion, the corners of her full lips threatening to pull into a smirk. It was satisfying to see his irritation, since she was so furious at him herself. "Don't be angry in front of her." She continues to evade the question, eventually pointing back from whence they came. "Have you heard of Blur? Osc thinks it's insane that I haven't, but he's always saying that, he thinks he's got, like, the definitive taste in music."

[freddie beaumont]

Before she joined him on the balcony, he thinks of what he’s going to say. Trying not to let his anger become too much, too fast. Over something so silly as someone with the name of Oscar. But the irritation he feels is heavy, perhaps from all iciness she’s been feeding him since he returned from Cabo to hear she was pregnant with their second child. It drove Freddie crazy, not entirely understanding her recent indifference with him. She was under his skin whether she knew it or not, but judging by the way her lips curled up in a smirk Aisha had to have some idea. “You know exactly what I mean,” he retorts, quickly at the sudden change of her voice, she’d made it extra sweet on purpose. He hates how good she looks pretending she wasn’t affecting him with her display with Oscar. Her signature heels exaggerating her always gorgeous tanned, toned legs. Freddie’s eyes fly to the glass that separate Oscar and Aria from their conversation. “She can’t hear me, and I chose to have this conversation outside for that exact reason.” Aria didn’t need to hear any comments either of them made in the heat of the moment. He feels his blood boiling over even more as she begins to trail from the true conversation. Bringing up Blur and Oscar’s taste in music, all things he didn’t care about. “I don’t really care. What is going on here? Answer the question.” He gestures to the window, wondering if her beloved chef was watching the showdown from the stove.

[aisha van buren]

She's relishing this and doing an incredibly poor job of disguising it. Her eyes flicker over him, aware of every little tell; his shoulders were ever so slightly hunched, a vein running down behind one ear threatening to bulge. He was pissed and she was glad. "You can stay for lunch if you like, he's really very good," she goads, pretending this was a completely neutral suggestion. Behind them Oscar is picking Aria up and spinning her around, showing her things to try and keep her distracted from their unfurling drama. Now that she'd seen her dad she would want him, it would only be a matter of time before the distractions would stop working and she'd start crying for him, so Aisha decides to stop beating around the bush.  "He's cooking, he's the chef. You're the dad, you should be taking her home but instead you've decided to have a little temper tantrum." God she wishes she could have a cigarette. "Sorry,  I just find all of this a little rich. You're the one taking social climbers out to lunch like it's nothing," she says, finally getting to the point at hand, at least as far as she's concerned. "You know she's here with my dad's business partner? If he gets wind of it he'll tell Caesar and then you'll really be in the doghouse, believe me." It's all spilling out of her, spite loaded into every word, an attempt to mask how tired she was of it all. "I'm single, Oscar's single, it's really none of your business. Deal with your own problems before you go trying to create them for me."

[freddie beaumont]

Freddie ignores the bit on him staying for lunch. Even more irritated as she continues boasting the chef’s cooking. Apparently this guy could do nothing wrong, for all the praises she kept throwing in his direction. Putting Freddie even closer to the edge of exploding out of pure jealousy. There was no way he’d want to stay for lunch, desperately wanting to take his daughter and leave before he said something he regretted. Aisha takes the hint at last, of his need for actual answers and none of this beating around the bush. “I’m not throwing a tantrum.” He in fact, was. Her words igniting more of his anger. Jane was a sensitive subject between the two of them, rightfully so but he feels the need to defend himself when Aisha hasn’t been seeing his true actions. “Because it is nothing. I knew you were going to bring her up, I came prepared,” he rolls his eyes when she brings up Caesar. She always wanted to throw her father in his face, even if he was watching Freddie’s every move. “Oh if that’s the case, then what I do is none of your business either,” he’s quick to respond, sharply. He’s suddenly tired, worrying that all of work he’d been doing in the background was falling upon deaf ears. Freddie’s feet move towards the tricky door. Pausing to look at Aisha, his hands inches away from pulling the handle to lead back inside. “I needed to talk to someone about you, okay?” He pulls the hand that was close to the door, back to his body. “I’m having a fucking hard time here,” he quietly confesses. The truth of his words and emotion heavy on his face. Hating that he sounds almost desperate.

[aisha van buren]

Aisha snorts, rolling her eyes. "You knew I'd bring her up? How smart of you. Of course I'd bring her up, you're embarrassing yourself being seen with her. Which would be fine, except that you have Aria to think of, though I know that never seems to cross through your mind." Not entirely fair. Aria was too young to know better and Freddie was irrefutably a good, hands on parent, but it felt easier to advocate for her than for herself. "You're making it my business, you literally took her to the place we bumped into each other last year. It's so fucking stupid, Freddie," she says, but her voice loses some of its bite, exasperation taking its toll. Contrary to popular belief, she didn't want to be fighting with him like this, she didn't want to care about any of this at all. He says he wanted to talk about her and this almost sets her off again, the idea of people knowing their business making her want to scream. But she's able to stop herself just in time, the dejection written all over Freddie's face. She takes a moment. Processing what's been said and what it means, she eventually forces out a question. "What have you been saying about me?"

[freddie beaumont]

“That’s not fair to say and you know it,” rushes so quickly out of his mouth followed by another narrowing of Freddie’s eyebrows. Aisha and his mother knew the right spots to hurt him, touching on the number one — that he wasn’t a good enough father to Aria. “I didn’t take her there out of spite!” He raises his voice, in exasperation. His tone wasn’t harsh as he raised it, just making a point that it wasn’t a dig towards their reunion. It probably wasn’t the best choice of a place, but it was where Jane chose. He didn’t feel appropriate to turn it down to offend Aisha. Though he did think about her saying these exact words, throwing the repeated actions in his face. He closes his eyes after his last words spill out, unsure of how she’ll take the confession. Freddie is surprised at her question, a softer look graces her face. “Just that I really care about you. And that I haven’t been with anyone in..” he trails off, in disbelief he’s telling her all of this information with Oscar on the other side of the glass. “A while.”

[aisha van buren]

Frustration bubbles up within her and she closes her eyes for a moment, trying to calm down. Think of the baby, think of the baby, think of the baby. It was difficult to ascertain whether he was doing this on purpose or if he really was just that dense; mere moments before she would have insisted it was the former, but now she thinks maybe it really is the latter. She isn't sure which is worse. At least if he was doing this on purpose he'd be able to stop, what hope was there if he didn't even realize how it would look? "You're so stupid," is all she can manage, a very common accusation between them. She leans back against the wood of the railing, needing the support as he continues, disbelief written all over her features. "How long's a while? Twenty minutes? Two days?"

[freddie beaumont]

“Yeah, I’m feeling pretty stupid right now,” Freddie agrees to the typical accusation of him. A first that he was not disagreeing with the common insult she constantly spat at him. He brings his left hand to pinch the bridge of his nose out of frustration. At himself or Aisha, he’s unsure which way the irritation is directed. Maybe she was right. Talking to Jane about his feelings for the girl in front of him, was the wrong decision. It seemed as of late too Jane teased him for his lack of progress- often questioning him if it was worth it. If Aisha was worth it. All he wanted was someone in his life who wasn’t heavily connected to Aisha to hear the things he hadn’t been able to fully comprehend. Until recently. She scoffs slightly at the admission, her turn to have disbelief scattered across her features. “Since you told me you were pregnant,” Freddie reveals, stepping away from the door and mimicking her action of leaning his elbows against the wooden railing. “I’m sorry for raising my voice.” He looks to Oscar still spinning Aria around in the kitchen.

[aisha van buren]

Though she'd be remiss to admit it, Freddie had transformed. Though it had made her blood pressure rise to hear that he had been having lunch with Jane, it was a far cry from the usual stories about the playboy son of a billionaire, gallivanting around both coasts and leaving a wake of broken hearts. It was a catty world and there were plenty of people who'd made snide remarks about her pregnancy, but even her most dedicated adversaries had struggled to dig up dirt on him to weaponize against her, and she had to admit it was a pleasant change of pace. She's not able to keep up her poker face as he reveals how long it's been, her head snapping to him in disbelief. "You're lying." She can tell that he is not. Processing this information as quickly as she can, she mulls it over, her eyes following his to the scene before them. She softens. "You know he's not my type." A silly thing to say to someone who shared so many of his physical characteristics; Oscar was tall, dark haired, muscular, blue eyed. But that was as far as the comparison went, the chef lacking in a multitude of ways beyond the physical. "What are you trying to prove? Did Bea put you up to this?"

[freddie beaumont]

He's not surprised when she mutters the words 'you're lying.' Freddie's recent track record for being truthful had been not great. Having upset Aisha in the past for straying away from the truth especially regarding other women. He doesn't verbally argue with her though, just shaking his head at the statement. The scene almost mirrored the last time he'd been caught in a lie, Jane involved as well. But he sees the softened expression on her face in the reflection from the glass and almost feels...hopeful. "What is your type?" He tears his eyes away from Oscar and Aria, to fully look at her again. Curious as to what the answer was. A chuckle escapes his mouth when Aisha uses his mother's name, a nickname she'd been called his entire life. "Okay, that scares me. You on said Bea like the two of you were close friends," he hates the way a small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. A vision of the two of them together playing in his mind. The two of them a dangerous combo, for the things that they could inflict upon Freddie.  "She didn't put me up to it." He's back to shaking his head again, halting any negative beliefs she may have had in the moment about his mother. "I wanted to prove myself, to you."

[aisha van buren]

"Tall, dark haired, blue eyed, tanned..." she says, her eyes fixed on Oscar as he set about cleaning the kitchen, obviously trying to avoid looking in their direction. She finally looks back towards Freddie, a small smirk playing on her overfull lips. "Not the help. Not British." In truth, Freddie's suspicions about Oscar had been the first thing that really tipped her off to his attitude shift. Previously he was too busy running around town with the latest pretty young thing to care too much what she was doing, but the fact her interactions with someone who was effectively her employee had started to get to him said more about his headspace than anything else. Now she understands: he was sexually frustrated and assumed she must be too, driven to crossing boundaries she simply would never. "We are, did you miss that development?" She would be telling Bea all about this conversation as soon as he left, knowing the joy it would bring her.  His last words make her stomach twist unexpectedly, a lurch of surprise that threatens to make her blush. She turns around to face out to the water, her hair blowing in the breeze and thankfully obscuring her tinged cheeks. For once she's speechless, grappling around for the right thing to say. Finally she looks at him, pushing her hair back, a small smile on her face. "It's been months, you must be on the edge of exploding."